Squash Mosaic Virus Detection in Individual Seeds and Seed Lots of Cucurbits by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay. P. A. Nolan, Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis 95616. R. N. Campbell, Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis 95616. Plant Dis. 68:971-975. Accepted for publication 30 April 1984. Copyright 1984 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-68-971.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) done in polystyrene plates readily detected squash mosaic virus antigen in extracts from seed coats, papery layers, and layers, and distal halves of embryos from individual cucurbit seeds. Antigen presence in the embryo was independent of that in the seed coat or papery layer. Plants produced from the germinative halves of the same embryos were observed for embryonic transmission. No embryos judged virus-free by ELISA produced virus-infected plants but several embryos that contained antigen detectable by ELISA produced virus-free plants. A 90% probability of detecting the equivalent of one virus-infected melon seed in 400 was obtained when ELISA was done with polystyrene beads as the solid phase. Virus antigen was detected on unwashed pollen of several cucurbits but not on washed or washed and broken pollen.